Weft-fork for looms



(No Model.)

J. H. KNOWLES. WEFT FORK FOR LOOMS.

No. 445,627. Patented Feb. 3,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB I-I. KNOWVLES, OF LAVRENOE, llIASSAC/IIUSETTS.

WEFT-FORK FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 445,627, datedFebruary 3, 1891.

Application filed April 11, 1890. Serial No. 347, t40. (No model.)

To aid whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB l-I. KNOWLES, of Lawrence, county of Essex,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in \Veft-Forks forLooms, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresentinglike parts.

This invention is an improvement upon that represented in United StatesPatent No. 139,251, heretofore granted to me. The weftfork described inthe said patent is composed of several pieces of wire bent to formfingers and a spring-like portion, the ends of the wires beyond thespring-like portions and most remote from the fingers being soldered orunited together to form ashank with adepending lip. In the constructionshown in the said patent the wire at the spring-like portions was coiledin such direction that when the fingers were caught against ashuttle, asfrequently happens when the loom stops, the strain was such as to unwindthe coils.

In my experiments to improve this class of weft-fork I have found thatthis difficulty may be obviated by so coiling the spring portion of eachfinger that such strains against the inner sides to the fingers will bein a direction to further Wind up or, rather, unwind the coils of thespring portion.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure lin top or plan view represents aweft-fork embodying my present invention, and Fig. 2 a perspective viewthereof.

The weft-fork herein shown is represented as having four fingers a b c(1, those a and d being shown as made from a single piece of wire, themiddle portion of which is extended beyond the coils, to be referred to,far enough to form parts of the shank of the weft-fork, the doubled partof the said wire being bent down, as at 2, to form a catch against whichthe usual weft-hammer may strike. The

fingers Z) care made from separate wires, por tions of which beyondtheir coiled parts are extended into the shank and all united togetherby solder, asat 3. In this present invention the wire constituting thefingers is coiled to form springs, as a b 0 cl, and in coiling the wireto form these springs care is taken to bend the wires in such directionthat the branches a b c d at that side of each coil nearest the fingersat b 0 cl leave the said coils at the under sides thereof, asrepresented at'. I in Fig. 2, so that when the near sides of the fingersto b 0 cl come in contact with a shuttle during the movement of the layaway from the breast-beam the strain. put upon the fork is in adirection to further wind the coils rather than to unwind them, as inthe patent referred to. Bybendingthe coils in the direction shown ratherthan in the opposite direction strains upon the tines, as when theycatch on a shuttle or other part of the loom, tend to further coilrather than slacken or unwind the spring portions, and as a resultthereof the improved fork will last for a very much longer time withoutrepairs or injury to the parts.

It is obvious that I may use any desired number of fingers and wires toaccord with any usual weft-fork.

I claim p A weft-fork provided with fingers composed of wire havingspring-coils therein, the coils being in the direct-ion, substantiallyas described, to cause strain upon the inner sides of the fingers tofurther wind thecoils, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB I-I. KNOWLES.

\Vitnesses:

Gno. W. GREGORY, EMMA J. BENNETT.

